When does Loki Season 2 take place in the MCU timeline?

Loki Season 2 Episode 6, the finale of the new series, is nearly here – so, before you watch it, here’s a breakdown of its place in the wider MCU timeline.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t unfold in one straightforward chronology; take the first phase of the MCU, which had present-day stories like Iron Man, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk precede Captain America: The First Avenger, which then fast-forwarded to the events of The Avengers.

That’s not to say it’s ever really a head-scratcher: Captain Marvel’s origin story clearly takes place in the ’90s, Black Widow’s solo movie is set just before Civil War, and the vast majority of post-Endgame projects take place a couple of years in the future (remember, it skipped five years ahead after the snap).

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Loki has returned to our screens in Season 2, but unlike Secret Invasion and other MCU projects, nailing down his place in the timeline actually is a bit complicated – but we’ve got you covered.

Where does Loki Season 2 fit in the MCU timeline?

There are two possible answers: Loki Season 2 either takes place in 2012 or 2025.

Here’s the first argument: the events of Loki are set in motion after he steals the Tesseract when the Avengers travel back in time to 2012. So, the show’s version of Loki is from that year.

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The second argument is more compelling: Loki is aware of his entire future up to the point of his death in Avengers: Infinity War, and the TVA exists outside the passage of time as we know it. Its operatives have the ability to easily travel in time, and to their knowledge, they’ve been working there for “eons.”

They’re also well aware of everything that happens in Endgame – let’s not forget their drawer full of Infinity Stones – so one could posit that it’s set at the most recent point in the timeline, aka 2025.

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The third, not-so-satisfying answer is the most accurate: it’s impossible to calculate Season 2’s place in the timeline because the TVA oversees all time; it could take place at any point, or no point at all.

MCU chronological timeline

Below, you can find a full list of every movie and TV series in the MCU (excluding the Netflix and Hulu shows) and when they take place in the world of the franchise. We have included Loki, but as we’ve noted, the show’s setting is incredibly flexible.

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Captain America: The First Avenger — 1942-1945

Captain Marvel — 1995

Iron Man — 2010

Iron Man 2 — 2011

The Incredible Hulk — 2011

Thor — 2011

The Avengers — 2012

Iron Man 3 — 2012

Thor: The Dark World — 2013

Captain America: The Winter Soldier — 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy — 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 — 2014

Avengers: Age of Ultron — 2015

Ant-Man — 2015

Captain America: Civil War — 2016

Black Widow — 2016

Black Panther — 2016

Spider-Man: Homecoming — 2016

Doctor Strange — 2016

Thor: Ragnarok — 2017

Ant-Man and the Wasp — 2018

Avengers: Infinity War — 2018

Avengers: Endgame — 2023

What If…? — 2023, but there are a number of different timelines throughout the series

Wandavision — 2023

Falcon and the Winter Soldier — 2023

Spider-Man: Far From Home — 2023

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — 2023

Eternals — 2023

Spider-Man: No Way Home — 2024

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — 2024

Hawkeye — 2024

Moon Knight — 2025

She-Hulk — 2025

Ms Marvel — 2025

Thor: Love and Thunder — 2025

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — 2025

Werewolf By Night — 2025

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special — 2025

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — 2025

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — 2025

Secret Invasion — 2025

Loki Seasons 1-2 — 2025, but the show hops around several timelines, including the events of The Avengers, present-day MCU, and the end of time itself

The official synopsis reads: “Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority.

“Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.”

Loki Season 2 Episodes 1-5 are now streaming on Disney Plus, which you can sign up for here. You can check out our other coverage below:

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